National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $4.413; Month Ago: $4.955; Year Ago: $3.159. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $5.455; Month Ago: $5.812; Year Ago: $3.271.

Oil fell on Wednesday as investors took profit on a rally the day before to this year’s highs after a report showed a surprisingly large increase in U.S. crude inventories. June Brent crude futures LCOc2 were last down 27 cents on the day at $69.19 barrel by 1135 GMT, while the May contract LCOc1, which expires on Thursday, was down 16 cents at $69.95. WTI futures CLc1 fell 40 cents to $64.85 a barrel.

Last week, the International Longshoremen’s Association provided a legally-required 60-day strike notice ahead of the expiration of the East Coast dockworkers’ contract at the end of September. More than 40,000 port workers are pressing for strike action against the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on October 1 if their demands are not met. A strike by East Coast dockworkers would have a colossal impact not only on the profits of the major maritime shipping companies, but, most significantly, on the entire global capitalist economy. The contract covers 36 ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, including the port of New York and New Jersey, the second biggest in the country. The Atlantic and Gulf ports handle over 100 million tons of cargo every year from Europe, South America and Asia.